[Single Review] Kahi 'It's Me'
Don't get me wrong- I love my K-pop princesses. From the Nation's Little SisterIUto the Nation's first LoveSuzy. From the Baddest FemaleCLtoAkdong Musician's 99-line wunderkindSoohyun, I have all kinds of love and respect for K-Pop's talented young ladies. However, as an older K-Pop fan, I need the occasional reminder that I didn't turn into a dinosaur artifact back in 2008. Women likeHyori,BoA,Seo In Young,Son Dambiand all of theBrown Eyed Girlswho put out killer dance music despite being past the typical "prime age" (by K-Pop standards) make this 20-something writer feel like aging with grace doesn't mean throwing in the towel. Now, I can finally, finally,finallyaddKahias a soloist to my list of grown women who make the dance floor a better place.
Kahi leftAfter Schoolages ago, and it was starting to look like her solo career was never going to happen, but thank goodness it's here because I never knew how much I needed "It's Me" in my life. The song drags an synth-drenched 80's-ish alt pop arrangement over that staple K-Pop beat while Kahi warns in a low drawl that her man's about to lose his chances with her if he doesn't stop comparing her to other women. Kahi's delivery on this song is just plain cool, and or the first time in a long time, I was listening to a K-Pop song and thinkingI want to be that girl.
Being out of the spotlight has taken a toll on Kahi's popularity, and the limited promotion that "It's Me" received hasn't helped bring it back up.Sunmi's pre-comeback hype may have seemed drawn-out and overbearing, but it paid off in spades when her song soared to the top of the charts and stayed there for weeks on end, and a similar promotional tactic might have done more for "It's Me" than Kahi's low-key reintroduction to the music world. I'd love to see Kahi put out a remix version withZicoor another popular idol rapper as the feature. As great asDumbfoundead(orPARKERas he goes by these days) is on this track, the people who buy and listen to his music probably aren't going to be buying Kahi's music, and someone more relevant to the commercial pop scene might bring in more people from her target demographic. Until then, I think I'll watch her live stages on repeat until I discover the secret to being as fabulous as Kahi.